Pierce here's a variances interesting statistic gallup since 1948
has been asking Americans this question
when a person has a disease that cannot be cured do you think doctor should be
allowed by law to end the patient's life by some painless means
if the patient in his or her family requested
and in nineteen forty
8 the number people said yes was 37 percent went down to 36 percent 49
and ministered climbing in the seventies it hit 53 percent more than half of
Americans
and I think it was the seventies occurred in the eighties the doctor
kevorkian's are getting a lot of publicity
so that by nineteen ninety-one it was 65 percent
and by 96 which might have been the PK kevorkian I frankly don't remember
it was at seventy-five percent it has since declined somewhat it's a
sixty-nine percent right now
it was seventy percent last year but basically
seven in 10 Americans support the idea view euthanasia let me take this a step
further
I remember
I was I was
in involved with or you know a
a witness to show we say a train
back in the in the sixties by
a a fellow who is essentially a Buddhist
he was working with the local Methodist minister
and the people going through this were also using
LSD with switches a whole opens on a can of worms and so I'd like to kinda sad
that it
to the side but basically what these folks were doing
in the sanctuary of the Methodist Church was
walking through under acid was walking through the Tibetan Book of the Dead
Tibetan Buddhism has a very elaborate ritual about die
associated with it and that there are the seven bar closes seven stages a
doubt some which occur before you leave the body so much occur after you leave
the body
and that so so there's preparation for doubt
there is the experience have death and then
you are fully prepared for what's going to happen after death
in the tibetan tradition and in some other traditions e&
catholics you your you're gonna go to whatever and
actuations be for catholics anti-catholic I was raised protestant
methodist
and it was you know you diane you you're immediately gonna go to heaven
and G is going to welcome you and you get to hang out on a
and the clouds and play Harper whatever I mean nobody ever actually I don't
recall
anybody ever actually same this is what it's gonna be like
but the tibetans were pretty specific about and even the idea that you may be
reincarnated in you have to go through the cycle a few times do you get it
right now and finally you know
you become one with all the ongoing the point evolves
is that there was a time back in the late sixties when
death and dying was being discussed in the context of life and living
that the death of the ego
that letting go of this concept of self
and becoming simply resident
which is
the ultimate goal love
many Buddhist teachings and some Hindu jeans and
and the mystic Christian treaty chins and the mystic
Muslim teaches Islamic teachings look at what the Sufis say
look at what Meister Eckhart said read my strikers writings
16 or 17th century
German Catholic mystic mindboggling stuff and it's all about
letting go bigger dye into the world being
been awakened being reborn into into life
i sat with my dad for several days as he died and set with him while he died
and I didn't realize until after he died that the kinda struck that he had meant
that he had
even I could move anything he was probably fully conscious the whole
period time
and one other great regrets my life
is that I never shared with my dad while he was dying
and could hear me
what I had learned back when I was 16 years old sitting through this
class essentially in the in the sanctuary of the
at the Methodist Church in East Lansing Michigan on Trowbridge Road
arm with the budget people who were trippin
about the significance and letting go
just letting it go and Diana good death
and not being afraid and just being present with it
which I hope I can bring them to the forward part in my consciousness when my
time comes
and if I'm not able to I hope that there's somebody around me who can
which raises a whole nother issue which is not she just
should we be giving doctors the ability to give somebody hears six ounces apps
in a bar it's all good luck
should our religious institutions
or maybe even something outside of our religious institutions always seems to
me
an appropriate place for religion
at least those that are less judgmental
be teaching their
pastors in training in their ministers their pre-season training in there
rabbis in training there there molars into whatever
should they be teaching people how to die
should we be talking about that the site I believe we should
and I think that it will informs our
living I realize I'm certain sound like I'm giving a sermon here but
you know I feel very strongly about this that this is this is where the great
lessons that I learned from Michael Hutchison who
who passed away just this last year but who has been a guest on this program a
number of times back
56 years ago when he was able to do so and who had this experience
been paralyzed from the neck down and
letting go and experiencing this
massive enlightenment word just everything in the universe became him
and he became
it and it was just a tall one and I would call a muppet we have these long
conversations he say it's it's all
if we would you just watching the movie time some thinking it's real
it's just the movie
you are much you are you are everything
you not just the subs
and to all playing out exactly the way it's supposed to when it hurts that's
how it's supposed to play out when
feels good that are supposed to play out if you if you
think if you take any but seriously and think that it's great that there's
really a you lose you
any just get stuck in it was amazing
competitions shouldn't we be having had a conversation with dying
people you're listening to the Thom Hartmann program
call 866 987 Thoi em
should lean look at a body in literature
apollo not having exists is there but but it has been starting